Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1887-08-20
ets7.so7.AIa
Total ..ossjs. .6t6, ~

From these figures II will be noticed that
during the pest decade the lOs-es have boen
increasing steadily, each years record sur.
passing the presiding one. with but three q
oeptionA II will 10 noticed also, that the
changes In the Insurance l0ss have boon sub
stantiaily the same - In the property lOs =,
0eipg sach year between 60 and 90 per cont,
and averaging 81 por cent tor the ~ yeara
A closer view Of the incsndtary phase OF
tho firs question reveals several important
factA OF the Sii, ,5T,3A destroyed BY In.
coudtarism 81 per cent only WAS insured,
which In per cent less than the avsrage In.
surance on oil property destroyed by Gil
causes, known and unknown, during the
past 10 yssrn This feet has an important
bearing on the sssertiOn frequently heard
that Insurance. furnishes the chief motive for
iucendiarism. Another fAct bear'ng ON this
point N that In series Of years the percent
Oi oil fires OF stated origin In New England
In 1856, sbout II per cent. were incendiary /;
In the Middle States the ratio Of tncendiartsin
was25 per cent In the Western states 32 per
cent, and In the Southern states ~ per cent
The average for the United States, - already
stated was, In 1886, about rs per cont, but
while this In the mean ratio II In interesting &
To note that the amount Of incendiary hazard
In different risks varies greatly. An analysis
Of l7.5Al hres during the past three yeerr, the
ported, on IS different classes OF property,
shows that the percentage OF incendiarism
varies from 33 per cent on tobacco barns
To H3 per cent. on dwellings, II
now IL true that Insurance. II .
motive 70 inoendiarism, ono would ind
that the percentage Of uninsured loss runs
down - the ratio Of incendiarism runs up
THIS does not appear to be the case; on the
contrary, nearly oil cissses Of property dis
tingu uished for intense incendiATisin such -
tobsoco barns, country stores, livery stables,
cotton gin houses, lumber yards and general
wsrehOutes, show large property losses In
excess of tue amounts OF insurance paid.
property having . high moral hazard u
pretty generally known end avoided BY the
Insurance cOmpanioA
Next u inceudiarisrn the defective hue n
the known cause OF the largest nunb6r o
firSA One thousand and four fires rosulte<
from this cause In lss6, which IL about l;
per cent ot those whose origin u known anC
1900 tires In dwelling houses during the las
three years, the origin OF which 10 known
the detective Hue hesds the list VI 80 pribCi
pal causes, and caused about - per cent O
inem oil. Forest and prairie fires cOms
third and matches fourth. This IL striking
commentary on the manner In which veil
ings arc built During 1886 there were ~.
tires In New York state known tO result
trOm defective nues, % In Ohio, % In In
diana gg In Pennsylvania, 10 In Illinois, u
in Massachusetts, 90 in Missouri, III In Cali
ioruis, 81 In Texas, 30 IN Maine, ~ in Geor
gis, % IN Kentucky aud ~ on. From thess
figures It may bs assumed that the careless
building Of q yelling houses 10 not confined u
any one section OF tue country. The 10 prin
cipal causes for all fires in the country ART
l, udisrism 1; =, detective tlues !; ;, sparks
(general |; 4, matches 8, lightning u, latnI
Oh xplosions; I, stoves; $, spontaneous cOn-
bustion o. lamp accidents, not explosions
10, locomotive sparks.